Lewinsky, Monica (1973—)

Monica Samille Lewinsky was born July 23, 1973, in San Francisco, California. The older of two children born to Marcia and Bernie Lewinsky, Monica grew up in Beverly Hills, California.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Lewis and Clark College of Portland, Oregon, in May 1995. In July of that year, with her mother's encouragement and through family ties, Monica became an intern—an unpaid but highly prestigious position—in the White House, advanced to temporary employment, and, then, a salaried position in the correspondence section of the Office of Legal Affairs. On November 15, 1995, Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton began a sexual relationship that would last until March 29, 1996, the date of their last acknowledged intimate contact. This relationship made Monica a public figure and contributed to impeachment proceedings against President Clinton.

The story of the relationship between Monica Lewinsky and President Clinton was reported to the press on January 21, 1998. President Clinton first denied the allegations but publicly acknowledged an improper relationship on August 17, 1998. The Starr Report, which details the findings of independent counsel, Kenneth Starr, includes sexually explicit descriptions of the affair.